THE FUZE TEAM BLOG: Join the real-time conversation

5 (More) Tips to Host a
Better Online Meeting
Part 2 of 2

Posted by Fuze Meeting - Kristen

I know, I know…adding new technology to your workday can be an adjustment. BUT I HATE CHANGE! Shhhh, change is fine. Once upon a time there were some old timeys complaining about this do-hickey-email-gimmick that will never last and…look at us now. Of course, changing any work process is always an adjustment, no matter how many benefits there are – and online meetings are no exception. Suddenly, you can no longer rely on your winning smile and eye contact to engage your audience. But with a little pre-planning, your web conference can be just as thorough, just as complete, and just as effective as your in-person meetings. If you missed Tuesday’s post, there’s some juicy stuff in there, as well.

1. Mute button is the new black. That button on your phone of the mic with a slash through it? That’s your best friend when you’re not talking or presenting. A noisy background in a web meeting is akin to having someone do a silly dance outside your conference room and makes it hard to pay attention to your hard work.  Encourage your attendees to use it also – noise distractions come from everywhere.
2. Upload files instead of sharing your desktop. I know, I know…desktop sharing is so easy and requires very little pre-planning. AND, it’s really quite useful for things like webinars, software training or meetings-on-the-fly where you didn’t have time to upload files ahead of time. BUT (yes there’s a butt) there are a couple of reasons this may not always be the best approach.
   • Whatever it is, it’s going to look better when uploaded. If you have the time to pre-load a file – it will look sharper (and not to mention more professional) if uploaded first.
   • Synchronicity. If your network connection is slow and your attendees’ networks connections are slow, forget about it. Fuze Meeting is really quite quick and fluid for desktop sharing…but we can’t control what’s going on on your end. Uploading files takes a link out of the digi-chain.
   • And just a friendly reminder…there are all sorts of personal or embarrassing pop ups and notifiers that can pop up on your desktop when you’re not expecting them. More on this in a few days.
3. Keep Attendees engaged with presentation rights. Here’s a sneaky trick. Do you think someone’s not paying attention? Let them drive (AKA present) for a minute and reign them back in.
4. Periodically allow for questions. “Please hold all your questions until the end” is a great way to ensure your attendees forget their questions.  Instead, take a moment at the end of each section of your agenda (which you obviously did because you read the previous post) and ask if they have any specific questions about this part of your presentation.
5. End on time. The last thing attendees will remember about the meeting is what time it ends. If you focus on short meetings with higher productivity, it will be easier to get attendees excited for a second meeting by respecting their schedules.

Hope you enjoyed the double post with a little April Fool’s joke posted in the middle. See you in a few.